Dennis Joseph Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Dennis Joseph Sullivan is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He currently serves as an auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of New York
.
, New York
, to John and Hanorah (née Hayes) Sullivan. One of four children children, he has two brothers, Jack and Charlie, and one sister, Catherine.
He attended Mount St. Michael Academy
before entering Iona College
, but left in his sophomore
year to study for the priesthood
at St. Joseph's Seminary
in Yonkers
. He earned a Bachelor's degree
and a Master's in Divinity
from St. Joseph's.
by Terence Cardinal Cooke on May 29, 1971, and then sent to the Dominican Republic
to learn Spanish
, so as to better serve the Spanish-speaking Catholics of the Archdiocese of New York
. He spent three months in the Dominican Republic, where he "learned to speak Spanish very fast because nobody spoke English
."
Upon his return to the United States
, Sullivan served as parochial vicar
at St. Elizabeth's Parish in Washington Heights
for five years. He also served as parochial vicar at Ss. Philip and James Parish in the Bronx (1976–1981) and at Ascension Parish in New York City
(1981–1982). He was named pastor
of St. Teresa's Parish on the Lower East Side
in 1981, where he gained a degree of fluency in Chinese
In 1999, he was raised to the rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness
. Then, in 2004, he became pastor of Ss. John and Paul Parish in Larchmont
.
Sullivan was also a member of the Lower East Side Catholic Area Conference, Archdiocesan Priests' Council, and Archdiocesan Review Board for sexual abuse cases.
of New York and Titular Bishop
of Enera by Pope John Paul II
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following September 21 from Edward Cardinal Egan, with Bishops Robert Brucato and Patrick Sheridan
serving as co-consecrators
. He selected as his episcopal motto
: "In the Breaking of the Bread".
As an auxiliary bishop, Sullivan serves as one of the two vicar general
s for the Archdiocese. He celebrated the funeral Mass
of Rev. Richard John Neuhaus
in January 2009. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
, he is a member of the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs, and sat on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development Committee from 2005 to 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He currently serves as an auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
.
Early life
Dennis Sullivan was born in the BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to John and Hanorah (née Hayes) Sullivan. One of four children children, he has two brothers, Jack and Charlie, and one sister, Catherine.
He attended Mount St. Michael Academy
Mount Saint Michael Academy
Mount Saint Michael Academy, also known as The Mount, is an all-boys Roman Catholic High School in the northeast part of the Bronx, New York, on the Mount Vernon city line, . The 22-acre campus is a non-boarding college preparatory school for some 1,100 boys grades 6 through 12...
before entering Iona College
Iona College (New York)
Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres on North Ave. The college also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River, Rockland County, New York....
, but left in his sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
year to study for the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
at St. Joseph's Seminary
St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie
St. Joseph's Seminary and College, sometimes referred to as Dunwoodie, after the Yonkers, New York neighborhood it is located in, is the major seminary of the Archdiocese of New York. Its primary mission is to form men for the priesthood in the Catholic Church...
in Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. He earned a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and a Master's in Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
from St. Joseph's.
Priesthood
Sullivan was ordainedHoly Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
by Terence Cardinal Cooke on May 29, 1971, and then sent to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
to learn Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, so as to better serve the Spanish-speaking Catholics of the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
. He spent three months in the Dominican Republic, where he "learned to speak Spanish very fast because nobody spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
."
Upon his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Sullivan served as parochial vicar
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St. Elizabeth's Parish in Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
for five years. He also served as parochial vicar at Ss. Philip and James Parish in the Bronx (1976–1981) and at Ascension Parish in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(1981–1982). He was named pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. Teresa's Parish on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
in 1981, where he gained a degree of fluency in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
In 1999, he was raised to the rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
. Then, in 2004, he became pastor of Ss. John and Paul Parish in Larchmont
Larchmont, New York
Larchmont is a village in Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,864 at the 2010 census. It is located within the town of Mamaroneck, on the shore of Long Island Sound, northeast of Midtown Manhattan...
.
Sullivan was also a member of the Lower East Side Catholic Area Conference, Archdiocesan Priests' Council, and Archdiocesan Review Board for sexual abuse cases.
Episcopal career
On June 28, 2004, Sullivan was appointed Auxiliary BishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of New York and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Enera by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following September 21 from Edward Cardinal Egan, with Bishops Robert Brucato and Patrick Sheridan
Patrick Joseph Thomas Sheridan
Patrick Joseph Thomas Sheridan, is a American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.Sheridan was born in New York and ordained a priest on March 1, 1947 . Sheridan was appointed Auxiliary Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York as well as titular bishop of Cursola on October 30, 1990 and was...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. He selected as his episcopal motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: "In the Breaking of the Bread".
As an auxiliary bishop, Sullivan serves as one of the two vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
s for the Archdiocese. He celebrated the funeral Mass
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
of Rev. Richard John Neuhaus
Richard John Neuhaus
Richard John Neuhaus was a prominent Christian cleric and writer. Born in Canada, Neuhaus moved to the United States where he became a naturalized United States citizen...
in January 2009. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
, he is a member of the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs, and sat on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development Committee from 2005 to 2008.